Old postcards from the early 20th century, compared to the same view shown on Google Street View today. The postcards come from my own collection. Almost all of them are from England, mainly showing West London, Middlesex, Surrey, Berks and Bucks. Click on the postcards to see enlarged versions. Street View images are the copyright of Google. Comments, questions or requests are welcome. If you repost my images on other websites (such as Facebook) please include a link to my original post.

Wednesday, 4 December 2013

Chiddingfold, Surrey, 1914

Chiddingfold, Surrey, The Post Office, 1914. Chiddingfold is a picturesque village in Surrey, south of Godalming. The most noticable thing about this old postcard is the magnificent motor-bus, run by Guildford and District Motor Services Ltd, and this bus apparently covered Guildford, Godalming and Chiddingfold according to the sign on the side.
The original purchaser of this postcard conveniently wrote some notes on the back that illuminate this scene. He or she writes 'Dear N, The Post Office is by the trees and very quaint it is too. This motor has ceased to run and I'm very sorry, for it is over four miles to the station and it means walking. Hope you are well. Best wishes, MHC'.

Postcard published by W. H. Applebee. Click the postcard to enlarge.
For more old pictures have a look at the Sepia Saturday blog.

12 comments:

How lovely to see a then and now that is recognisable. I think many of the problems and inconveniences we encounter in life are actually nothing new. I would assume though that the sender would have had a well made pair of boots (superior to today's) for the long walk.

I live in a town that may have a few buildings that stood a hundred years ago, but I doubt highly that they are still in use. This is a fabulous idea, and I'm thrilled to see the setting of commerce that has survived that long!

I always enjoy looking for what has changed in these then-now photos. This time not much has changed, but there are some chimneys missing. I've noticed that a lot in your pairings. Even when much has stayed the same, typically chimneys are missing.

Why is it that older photographs always look more intimate? You always seem to get less space and more subject for your square inch with old photos that with modern ones. It must be something to do with the lens I assume